Antirrhinum plant named ‘Sunkisuhowa’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Antirrhinum  plant named ‘Sunkisuhowa’, characterized by its upright and mounded plant habit; freely branching habit and short internodes; dense and bushy plant form; numerous white-colored flowers; and long flowering period.

Botanical designation: Antirrhinum majus×Antirrhinum hispanicum.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Sunkisuhowa’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Antirrhinum, botanically known as Antirrhinum majus×Antirrhinum hispanicum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Sunkisuhowa’.

The new Antirrhinum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Shiga, Japan. The objective of the breeding program is to create new freely flowering potted Antirrhinums.

The new Antirrhinum originated from a cross-pollination in Shiga, Japan in May, 2001, of a proprietary selection of Antirrhinum majus×Antirrhinum hispanicum identified as code number His15-6, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Antirrhinum majus×Antirrhinum hispanicum identified as code number His15-1, not patented. The cultivar Sunkisuhowa was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Shiga, Japan.

Asexual reproduction of the new Antirrhinum by cuttings in a controlled environment in Shiga, Japan since April, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Antirrhinum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Sunkisuhowa has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Sunkisuhowa’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sunkisuhowa’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Antirrhinum:

-   -   1. Upright and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit and short internodes; dense and bushy         plant form.     -   3. Numerous white-colored flowers.     -   4. Long flowering period.

Plants of the new Antirrhinum differ from plants of the female parent selection primarily in flower color as plants of the female parent selection have white-colored flowers with violet-colored venation. In addition, plants of the new Antirrhinum have larger flowers than plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Antirrhinum differ from plants of the male parent selection primarily in flower size as plants of the new Antirrhinum have larger flowers than plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Antirrhinum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Festa White, not patented. Plants of the new Antirrhinum and the cultivar Festa White differ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Antirrhinum are taller and broader than         plants of the cultivar Festa White.     -   2. Plants of the new Antirrhinum have longer and thicker later         branches than plants of the cultivar Festa White.     -   3. Plants of the new Antirrhinum have much longer inflorescences         than plants of the cultivar Festa White.     -   4. Plants of the new Antirrhinum are more freely flowering than         plants of the cultivar Festa White.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Antirrhinum, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Antirrhinum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Sunkisuhowa’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom or the sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Sunkisuhowa’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown in Shiga, Japan, under commercial practice in a polyethylene-covered greenhouse with day temperatures ranging from 10° C. to 20° C. and night temperatures averaging 0° C. Plants had been growing for about six months in 15-cm containers when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Antirrhinum majus×Antirrhinum hispanicum     cultivar Sunkisuhowa. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Antirrhinum majus×Antirrhinum hispanicum identified as code             number His 15-6, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Antirrhinum majus×Antirrhinum hispanicum identified as code             number His 15-1, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About 10 days at 20° C. to 25° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About 20 days at             20° C. to 25° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous and fleshy; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form/habit.—Upright and mounded plant habit; inverted             triangle. Freely branching habit with short internodes;             dense and bushy plant form; about nine lateral branches             develop per plant; pinching will enhance branching.         -   Plant height.—About 35.2 cm.         -   Plant width (spread).—About 26 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 30.8 cm. Diameter: About             3.3 mm. Internode length: About 1 cm. Strength: Moderately             strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: 144B. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Before flowering, opposite; after flowering,             alternate; simple.         -   Length.—About 2.9 cm.         -   Width.—About 1 cm.         -   Shape.—Elliptic.         -   Apex.—Acute to obtuse.         -   Base.—Cuneate.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate; reticulate.         -   Color.—Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper surface:             144A; venation, 144C. Developing and fully expanded leaves,             lower surface: 144B; venation, 144C.         -   Petiole.—Length: About 3.8 mm. Diameter: About 1.1 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color,             upper and lower surfaces: 144B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type/habit.—Single bi-labiate flowers arranged in             terminal and lateral racemes; flowers face obliquely upright             to outward. Freely flowering habit with about 31 flowers per             inflorescence and about 11 inflorescences per plant.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Continuously flowering from early             autumn until early summer in Japan. Flowers not persistent.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Flowers last about five days on             the plant.         -   Flower buds.—Height: About 2.6 cm. Diameter: About 1.2 cm.             Shape: Obovate. Color: 145C.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 20.2 cm.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 6.2 cm.         -   Flower diameter.—About 3.8 cm by 3.4 cm.         -   Flower depth.—About 3.3 cm.         -   Petals.—Quantity per flower: Upper lip, two-lobed; lower             lip, three-lobed; petals fused at the base. Upper lip:             Length: About 2.2 cm. Width: About 3.1 cm. Shape: Broadly             obovate. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; velvety. Color: When             opening, upper and lower surfaces: 155C. Fully opened, upper             and lower surfaces: 155C. Lower lip: Length: About 1.6 cm.             Width: About 3.3 cm. Shape: Obovate. Apex: Rounded. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;             velvety. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces:             155C. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: 155C.             Tube/throat: Length: About 1.6 cm. Diameter: About 1.1 cm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent.             Color: Tube, 155C; throat, 155C.         -   Sepals.—Quantity per flower: Typically five in a single             whorl. Length: About 7.8 mm. Width: About 3.4 mm. Shape:             Ovate. Apex: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface:             Smooth, glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent. Color,             upper and lower surfaces: 144A.         -   Pedicels.—Length: About 8.2 mm. Diameter: About 1.2 mm.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: 144A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Typically             four. Anther size: About 1.7 mm by 1.7 mm. Anther shape:             Oval, bi-lobed. Anther color: 19A. Filament color: 155D.             Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: 9A. Pistils: Quantity             per flower: One. Pistil length: About 1.7 cm. Stigma shape:             Club-shaped. Stigma color: 145B. Style length: About 1.6 cm.             Style color: 145C. Ovary color: 145B.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit development have not been             observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Antirrhinum have not been     noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Antirrhinum. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Antirrhinum have been observed     to have good garden performance and tolerate rain, wind and     temperatures ranging from about −10° C. to about 30° C. 

1. A new and distinct Antirrhinum plant named ‘Sunkisuhowa’ as illustrated and described. 